Vehicle



Sept- 1941 w. SWALLOW 2,254,458

VEHICLE Filed May 51, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 /N VEN r012 William wallow Sept. 2, 1941. W. SWALLOW VEHICLE Filed May 51, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 /NVENTOR Wdlzam wallow Sept. 2, 1941. w. SWALLOW VEHICLE F'iled May 31, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patenied Sept. Z, 1941 VEI-IICLE Applioation May 31, 1938, Serial No. 210,900 In Great Britain June 11, 1937 14 Claims.

The present nvention relates to a sheet metal vehicle construction and is applicable equaily to a vehicle comprised of separate body and chassis units, a vehicle of the so-called unitary body and chassis type and a vehicle of the so-called weight constructions the practice has been to provide open section members or portions of the structure which are closed by cover plates or the like to present a box section iormation having the necessary degree of strength and. rigidity.

The object of the present nvention is to provide a sheet metal road vehicle construction of light weight in Which the strength and rigidty is assured by the formation and disposition of the sheet metal panels or stampings entering into the structure without the addition of heavy reinforcing members or other framing.

According to the present invention a vehicle is built up of complementary sheet metal panels or stampings, which panels or stampngs are formeel vvth grooves or depressions, such that on assembly the -grooves or depressions of complementarypanels or stampngs mate to present closed or box section members. The ormation of the panels or stampings may be such -that in specified regions of the vehicle the grooves or depressions constitutie together a strong truss type reinforced. area.

Such complementary conformatons of the panels or shell fabric may be of a local character or alternatively persist throughout the structure to form a substantially jointless structural system. riveted or bolted together. The complementary conformations in the panels may be of circular, rectangular, corrugated or other shap-e and furthermay be locally formed to provide seatings or connections or secondary structures or fittings or fitted With internal or external local reinforcements in the regons where localized stress cannot be avoided.

The invention is applcable particularly, though not essentially, to a vehicle of the unitary chassis and bodytype.

A unitary body and chassis type of vehicle might be defmed as one in which the two elements of bodyand chassis, whilst necessary the one to the other, may be fabricated independently and each by itsel is sfliciently strong to go through the process of manufacture without mishap, and to be handled and transported, if nec- Complementary panels may be weldecl,

Vehicle trom front to rear.

essary, in the ordinary way but each is insufficiently strong in itself to provide the required degree of strength and rigidity in the complete vehicle.

It is only when the two elements are assembled together that the requisite strength and rigidity is derived.

The trend in modern vehicle design is toward this type of construotion and further envisages a wall or panel structure which is carried forwardly to the extreme front end of the vehicle to embrace and support the motor.

The assembly, according to the invention, pre sents in effect a stressed skin structurein which the sheet metal panels resist, to a substantial extent, shear loacls, and. the various box or olosed section members, formed by the combination of inner and outer panels or stampings serve to stabilise the stress resisting structure, to distribute the main loads, such as road spring reactions, engine torque and so forth and. further promote the torsional resistance of the structure as a whole.

It may be found necessary to reinf-orce the structure locally for example by doubling plates and. the like, at the regions of loading to relieve the stress intensity in those regions.

It is well knovvn tnat structural 1nembers fabricated from sheet metal vary in efiiciency with their sectonal stabilty. In order, therefor, to obtain the lightest sheet metal structure, it is essential to have maximum sectional stability. Furtherm-ore, when structural members are required. to resist torsional loads, asin a vehicle body when it is being operated over uneven roads,

the most desirable sections are tubes or enclosed box members, which are inherently resistent to torsion. Such a"structure is provided by this nvention.

Instead of a complete body shell being provided by complementary inner and outer panels, there may be provided two main side girder members each comprised of inner and outer complementary panels, which form the complete sides of the These sde members would be interconnected by transverse tubes, X-bracing members, floor and roof panels and so forth to provide the desired enclosed body, and these interconnecting members would serve to transmit loads to the main side girder members.

One advantage of this kind of construction is the continuity which is obtained, that is to say,

all the frame member junctions may be integral and free trom any gussets, reinforeing platesor Figure 1 is a perspe'ctive view of assembled and Figure 4 is a perspective view of the outer- (lower) panel our stamping of a floor unit, whoh may serve as the chassis frame of the vehicle; and

Figure 5 is a similar view of the complementary inner (upper) floor panel or stamping;

Figures 6 to 13a are sections on the lines 6-6,

'l-'|, 8-8, 9-9, II0, H-II I2|2, l3l3 and l3a-l3a of Figure 1; whilst Figures 14 to 16 show in full lines sections on the lines I4l4 15-15 and |6-I6 of Figure 1, and in dotted lines sections1through the inner (upper) floor panel in the corresponding region after its connection with the outer fioor panel. The body structure of the vehicle compiises two main side members 01 units A, extending from front te rear and interconnected for examplein their lower regions by transverse tubular members H, 12, I3 and 14, whilst in their upper regions, the side memberswould be interconnected by a roof panel (not shown) which mightembody a sliding roofconstruction, which might be a one piece stamping extending from the rear end of the body forwardly over the whole roof area and down to the region of the cowl, such a stamping including windscreengand 'rear view window openings or such roof panel might be a built up structure of l gnown form.

If desired the upper portions of the mainside units may be interconnectedby a structure composed of complementary inner and outer panels resembling the structure of the side units.

The outer panel of the side unit A is shown in Figure 2. It consists of a unitary stamping |6 (or it may he built up of a plurality oistampings) extending from the front to the rear of the vehicle, and formed with door and window openings H, 8 and l9. At the front end, the stampin extends forwardly as at 20, to serve as the one portion of an enginehousingand as a portion of a front wheel housin Whflst at the rear the stamping is formed with;a) whee l housing clepression 21. At the rear endof the forward extension 2[!, a front wheel crown portion 20' is ormed.

It will be seen that the side stamping is in effect a lattice type girder, constituted by the threshold portion 22, the front post portion 23, the centre post 24, the rear post 25, the; rear quarter 25 and the longitudinal roof header 21.

Each of the portions 22 to 21 is in the form of an inwardly presenting angle or channel section member, as can be seen clearly from Figures6,

7, 8 9 and 12 respectively, sad channels being.

formed with fianges 28, 29, 30, 3I and 32 ly'ing parallel with the general longitudinl plane of the 'stamping.

The forward extension 25 with the threshold portion 22 of said stamping, the depression 34 tapering from a maximum of the sta.mping- I6 is formed with an inwardly presnting channel section depression 34 substantially in alignment depth in the region of thebottom of the front post of the sde unitforwardly thereof. A second nwardly presenting channel section depression 35 is formed substantially in alignmentwith the front post portin 23 and tapering similarly the 'two depressions 34 and 35 converging towards each other and. presenting a portion of a triangutherein.

lated bracecl structure between the wall porton 20 and 20.

The inner panel 36 is shoWn in Figure 3 having the same general configuration as the outer panel with door and window openings IT, 18 and. |9 The threshold porton 31 is generally of outwardly directed channel section, its lowermost edge bein formed with a dependent flange 38 extending from front to rear of the stamping, the front post portion 35 is of similar section flanged as at 40 in a plane parallel with the general longitudinal plane of the stamping, the centre post the rear post 42, the rear quarter 43 and the roof header 44 are also of outwardly directedphannel section with edge fianges 45, 46, 11 and. 18. In the wheel housing region the stamping 36 is cut away as at 41 and 48 to de crease the general weight of said stampng leaving an outwardly presenting fianged channel section strut:49 and a Substantially horizontal strut 58, flangedat 16 for clirect securement to the wheel housing portion 2! of the outer panel [5.

The forward extension 50 of the nnerpanel S6 is formed with lightening holes 5! S0 disposed that .there is formed an outwardly presenting channel section portion 52 in substantial alignment with the threshold portion 31 and en inolined strut portion 53 in substantial alignment with the front post portion 39. A curved outwardly presenting flanged channel section portion 56 correspondswith the upper contour of the outer panel I6 the portions 52 and 53being complemental to the portions 34 and 35 of the outer panel l6 and presenting when assembled therewith a braced triangulatedtruss type structure toward the front end of the vehicle. The struts 52, 53 and 56 are formed with edge flanges 54, and 51 as appe r clearly in Figure 13.

The underframe for the body structure descrbed, is illustratedin Figures 4 and 5 and 14 to 16. This underframe comprises a lower stamping 60 contoured longitudi1ally to the shape of the lower marginsof the body structure and formed with a series of openihgs 61, the margins 'around said openings being flanged vertically as at 62, said flanges being formed with small horizontal flanges 63whlst the outer edges of the stamping 66 are formed.with vertical iianges 64.

By this construction the lower stamping 60 presents the one portionofa truss type box section underframe, the box members being completed by attaching to the lower stamping 60 the upper stamping 10 of Figure 5, the attachment being eiected, for example, by spot welding through the flanges 63 and 54 as appears clearly in figures 14 to 16. The upper stampng 10 is formed with a cut out for reception of the motor and has dependent flanges 12 for attachment tothe flanges 64 of thelower stamping 60. The stamping lll may be for1ned with a series of ti ansverse depressibns 13 and if required oblique depressions l4 to"give stability to said stamping.

The construction described above is applicable equally well to a vehicle embdyng the conventional body and Chassis unit orto a vehible in Which the chassis, as such, is entirely elini-- panels or stampings having a plurality of openings therein to form a lattioe girder and each having a plurality of hollow section portions which are arranged to have ther open sides faoe each other when assembled together, the inner and outer panels or stampings extending both to the end of the automoble and ormng the side wall of a motor compartment.

2. In a vehicle body, a wheel housing porton comprising a substantially vertical side wall section and a crown seotion extending substantially transversely to said side wall section, a reinforcing groove or dep-ression formed in said wheel housing havng its open side facing to ward the nteror of the body and extending from said crown section into said side wall secton.

3. In a vehicle body, a wheel housng portion comprising a substantally vertical side wall section and a crown section extending substantially tranversely to said side wall section, a groove or depression formed in said wheel housng and extending from said crown seotion substantially radially toward. the center of the wheel housing.

4. In a vehicle body, a. wheel housing portion comprising a substantially vertical side wall section and a crown section which extends substantially transversely to said side wall section, a groove or depresson formed in said wheel housing and extending from the crown section into the side wall secton, the depth of the groo-ve or depression being greatest in the region of the crown section and decreasng in the drecton toward the center of the wheel housing.

5. In a vehicle body, a wheel housing portion comprising a substantially vertical side wall section and a crown section whchextends substantially transversely tosaid side wall section, a groove or depression formed in said wheel housing having its open side faong toward the nterior of the body and extending in a direction from about the center of the wheel housng up wardly bui: inclined toward the transverse middle plane of the body.

6. In a vehicle body, a wheel housing portion comprsing a substantially vertical side wall section and a crown section Whch extends substantially transversely to said side wall section.v a groove or depression formed in said wheel housing adjaoent ts lower substantally horizontal margin, said groove or depression forming a continuaton of an adjacent threshold section and decreasing in depth from the crown secton toward the center of the wheel housing.

7. In a vehicle body, a wheel housing porton comprsing a substantally vertical side wall section and a crown secton extending substantally transversely to said side wall section, a reinforcing groove or depresson formed in said wheel housng portion having its open side faoing toward the interior of the body and extending from said crown secton into said side wall seoton, a comparatively narrow elongated member being placed across the open side of said groove or depression and being fastened to said wheel housing portion along both sides of said groove or depresson, said member forming togetlrer with said groove or depression a olosed box sectional reintoroement.

8. In a combned body and chassis underframe structure for vehicles, a loor panel stamping having an uninterrupted floor surface, a second stamping being eoextensve with a consderable part of said first-named stamping, said second stamping being in the form of a lattoe-work of upwardly facing channels, the upper margins of the side walls of said channels beng secured to the underside of said first-named stamping, said two stampings formng together a truss girder of high-load carrying capacity.

9. In a vehicle body, a wall comprisng an inner panel and an outer panel, said panels beng spaced from and. arranged about parallelto each ether, one of said panels having a secton exposed to view in the finished body and. free from openings, the other panel being in the oorrespondng region provded with en opening, means for connecting said two panels along the margins of said opening and means for connectng said two panels along lines which are spaced from and run about parallel to the margins of said opening as to form relatively narrow closed box seotional glrders.

10. In a vehicle body, a wall comprising an inner panel and an outer panel, said panels being spaced from and arranged about parallel to each other, one of said panels having a section exposed to view in the finished body and free from openings, the other panel being in the corresponding region provded with an opening and with fianges along the margins of said opening, said flanges extending toward said first named panel and being connected therewth, and means for connecting said two panels along lines whoh are spaced fromand run about parallel to the margins of said opening as to form relatively narrow closed box sectional girders.

11. In a vehicle body, a wall comprising an inner panel and an outer panel, said panels being spaced from and arranged about parallel to each other, one of said panels having a section exposed to view in the finished body and free from openings, the other panel being in the corresponding regon provided wth at least two openings, a comparatively narrow elongated portion of said seoond panel remaining between two adjacent openings, means for connecting said two panels along the margins of said openings, and. means for connectng said two panels along lines Which are spaced from and run about parallel to such margins of said opening which are not adjacent to another one of said openings as to form a lattice work of relatively narrow closed box sectional girders.

12. In a vehicle, a box-section longitudinal side frame member between front and. rear wheels, a wheel housng for one of said wheels the longitudnally extending, substantally vertcal side wall of the said wheel housng forming a boxsection extension of the said longitudinal side frame member.

13. A vehicle having box-secti-on longitudnal side frame members and wheel housings as well as box-section extensions of the side frame members wherein at least one wall of the said extensons constitutes a part of the longitudinally extending, substantially vertical side wall of the respective wheel housing.

14. A vehicle havlng a box-seotion longitudinal side frame member and a vertcal wheel housing portion, in which said wheel housing portion forms a box-section extension of the side frame member the walls of the side frame member being ormed in one piece with the walls of the wheel housing portion.

WILLIAM SWALLCW. 

